by Michael Erin Woody, 2022. Paperback, 96 pages.
For thousands of years, the Salinan Indians of the California Central Coast lived in what is known today as San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. This educational coloring book gives readers the ability to explore interesting facts about the Salinan Indians while having fun coloring.
The book features 80 illustrations to color, including 20 full-page drawings. Each illustration page is placed on its own page with a blank page on the other side, so there are no bleeding issues. Each illustration comes with the Salinan word and pronunciation. The book also includes 10 pages of fun facts about Salinan culture accompanied by drawings from painted caves in Monterey County.
Brief History of the Salinan Indians
The ancestral lands of the Salinan people stretch along the Pacific Coast from the city of Arroyo Grande out to the Carrizo Plains in the south up to the Santa Lucia Mountain Range and the Salinas Valley to the north. They lived in this coastal region with their unique culture, language, and beliefs until the beginning of the Spanish Mission Era of the late 1700s. The indigenous natives were brought in from their regional villages to live at these missions, where they were taught a very different way of living but still kept true to their language, culture, and traditions. With the help of renowned historians and researchers who took the time to record and translate this beautiful language and culture, their traditions are well documented and generationally preserved by Salinan families today.
About the Author
Michael Erin Woody is directly descended from many Salinan Indians along the central coast of California who helped build the abalone fishing industry that shaped the economics of the central coast for generations. He is a professional civil engineer and a graduate from Harvard University with a Masters in Public Administration. He makes his home today in the quiet fishing community of Morro Bay.
